Chime signal



July ME 194m U CHIME SIGNAL Filed Dec. 1.6, 1938 INVENTOR 4110/ MAFM ATTO RN EYS Patented July 16, 1940 UNITED STATES PATEN orriea CHILE SIGNAL Application December 16, 1938, Serial No. 246,01?

8 Claims.

The invention relates to a signal or alarm device similar in purpose to the ordinary door bell, and aims primarily to provide such a device whereby an efiective and pleasing chime signal may be produced by mechanism which is simple and inexpensive in respect to construction and installation, and also simple and reliable in operation. In the drawing Fig. l is a general perspective view of a signalling device constructed to operate in accordance with the invention.

Fig. 2 is a horizontal section through such device taken on the line 22 of Fig. 3, and showing the same in mounted position on a wall.

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view taken substantially on line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3 but with the housing removed and certain parts cut away to show their interior construction.

Fig. 5 is a section taken on line 5--5 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view showing detached 9. yoke-like member which forms a part of the operating mechanism.

The invention is disclosed as applied to a signalling device having a base plate 5 suitable to be mounted upon a wall, partition, door frame or the like, and carrying vibratory elements adapted to be energized to produce a chime slg- -nal. In the illustrated form of the invention two of such chime producing elements are employed in order to produce notes of difierent pitch, and which are in the form of metal strips 2 and 3 which are mounted parallel to each other and in spaced relation to the base plate 5 by means of rubber studs 4 which are attached to ears 5 struck up from the base plate 6. Upon being energized or set in vibration by a striker 6, vibratory strips 2 and 3 resonate to produce chime notes at their respective pitches, the sound being preferably amplified as hereinafter described.

In the form shown, the striker 6 is mounted between the vibratory elements 2 and 3 and is movable between striking positions wherein it respectively energizes them. Referring more particularly to Fig. 5, the striker 5 may be mounted upon a flexible rod 7 which in turn is attached to a fitting 8 fixed to a U-shaped member 9 having its ends l0 and l I pivotally received within openings in a bracket l2 attached to base i. Preferably this bracket I2 is also provided with opposed stops 13 respectively engaged by a buffer l4 carried by fitting 8, when the striker 6 is re spectively in its striking positions with respect to vibratory elements 2 and 3. Thus when the striker is rapidly moved to the left into the position shown in Fig. 3, the corresponding stop l3 prevents it from remaining permanently in contact with strip 2, but the rod i initially yields sumciently to cause the striker 8 to impart a sharp blow to element 3 before being held spaced therefrom by stop it as shown.

The signalling device is constructed to be manually operated from the opposite side of the wall upon which the parts above described are mounted. As shown in Fig. 2 a manually operable actuating member Hi may pass through an opening it in base i and through a hole 06 in wall ill, to a suitable handle it located on the opposite side of wall ii. In the specific form of the invention under discussion this handle it is mounted to rock back and forth angularly, its range of motion being limited by a lug l9 thereon which engages in an arcuate slot 20 in a face plate 2 i.

Where a rocking type of actuating member is employed, the member M may be detachably engaged with a yoke member 22 having ears 23 provided with hubs 2 3 which are pivotally received respectively in the bracket l2 and base plate i. As shown the member i4 is polygonal in cross section, and the hubs 24 are provided with complementary holes 25a, so that as the handle I 8 rocks in one direction or the other, corresponding pivotal movement is imparted to yoke 23. In assembling the device, base plate i may be mounted on one side of partition l7 and face plate 2! on the other, the member it being passed through hole It in the partition and hole iii in base plate i into engagement with yoke 22 as above described.

Preferably a motion transmitting mechanism is interposed between actuating member it and the striker 6 which imparts an accelerated movement to the latter when traveling to striking position. For this purpose, as shown more clearly in Figs. 4 and.5, a spring 25 may be interposed between the yoke member 22 and U-shaped member 9 previously described, in such manner that the spring becomes compressed when the striker 6 assumes a central position between the vibratory strips 2 and 3, but expands as the striker approaches either vibratory strip, so as to accelerate the motion of the striker and cause it to impart a sharp blow to the vibratory strip as the buffer it engages one of the stops it. In the specific construction which is illustrated, the spring 25 acts between a headed stud 26 which engages a cross-piece 21 in the yoke 22 and is slidably received in an opening 24a (Fig. 5) in member 9, and a collar 21a (Fig. 4) which slidably surrounds the stud 26. It will be noted that the yoke 22 and striker 6 move angularly about spaced axes, and whenever handle I8 is manually moved to a position where the stud 26 is alined with these axes, the spring 25 will be compressed. Then as movement of handle l8 continues beyond the above dead center position, in either direction, spring 25 will expand to impart the above mentioned snap movement to striker 6.

In the specific form of the invention which is illustrated, a tension spring 28 acting between a fixed post 29 on base plate I and an ear 30 on yoke 22, urges the operating handle l8 toward one limit of its angular stroke, so that the striker 6 while idle occupies the position shown in Fig. 4. Then when handle I8 is manually rocked to what may be called the forward limit of its stroke, the operating parts assume the position shown in Fig. 3, a snap motion having been in the meantime imparted to striker 6 so as to cause it to energize the vibratory strip 3 as above described. When the operator releases the handle l8, spring 28 moves the handle back through a reverse stroke to its normal idle position, and the operating parts move back to the position shown in Fig. 4, a snap motion being in the meantime imparted to striker 6 as above described to cause it to energize the vibratory strip 2. Thus dual-toned chimes may be produced by a single manual movement of the actuating member.

As an important feature of the invention in one of its more specific aspects, I provide the vibratory strips 2 and 3 with ahousing 3! which surrounds or encloses the vibratory strips 2 and 3 and is constructed toprovide a chamber 32 between it and the base plate I which will amplify sounds produced by the strips 2 and 3, the housing 3| being also constructed to provide sound emitting openings 33. The dimensions of the chamber 32 which are necessary to produce an amplifying or resonating effect upon the chime notes produced by strips 2 and 3, will depend upon the pitch of the chimes selected, and the simplest way of determining upon a housing appropriate for the purpose, is to try out housings of different widths, until a substantial amplifying effect is obtained. In so doing the sound emitting openings 33 will be found to be important. As shown the housing 3| is detachably mounted in position, being provided with a slot 34 (Fig. 3) in which a tongue 35 projecting from the base plate is received, and at the opposite end of the housing a screw 36 engaging a threaded lug 31 extending from base plate I, detachably clamps the housing in position. As shown, the housing surrounds and protects the operating mechanism as well as serving as an amplifying chamber.

While the invention has been described as embodied in a signalling device of the specific construction above disclosed, it should be understood that many changes may be made therein without departing from the invention in its broader aspects, within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A chime signal having spaced sound-producing vibratile elements, a striker carried by a rod pivoted therebetween and rotatable between stops slightly spacing said striker resiliently from said vibratile elements when adjacent thereto respectively to minimize sound damping, and manually operable means including said rod for actuating said striker against said vibratile elements successively.

2. A chime signal having spaced sound-producing vibratile elements, a striker carried by a rod pivoted therebetween and rotatable between stops slightly spacing said striker resiliently from said vibratile elements when adjacent thereto respectively to minimize sound damping, a manually operable member and a resiliently retractile motion-transmitting mechanism including said rod for causing said striker to actuate said vibratile elements successively,

3. A chime signal having spaced sound-producing vibratile elements, a striker carried by a rod pivoted therebetween and rotatable between stops slightly spacing said striker resiliently from said vibratile elements when adjacent thereto respectively to minimize sound damping, a manually operable member and a resiliently retractile motion-transmitting mechanism including said rod for causing said striker to actuate said vibratile elements successively, said mechanism including a spring interposed between said actuating member and said striker for imparting a snap-action thereto.

4. A chime signal having spaced sound-producing vibratile elements, a striker carried by a rod pivoted therebetween and rotatable between stops slightly spacing said striker resiliently from said vibratile elements when adjacent thereto respectively to minimize sound damping, manually operable means including said rod for actuating said striker against said vibratile elements successively, and a sound-amplifying housing having sound-emitting openings, enclosing said vibratile elements.

5. A chime signal having spaced sound-producing vibratile elements, a striker carried by a rod pivoted therebetween and rotatable between stops slightly spacing said striker resiliently from said vibratile elements when adjacent thereto respectively to minimize sound damping, a manually operable member and a resiliently retractile motion-transmitting mechanism including said rod for causing said striker to actuate said vibratile elements successively, and a soundamplifying housing having sound-emitting openings, enclosing said vibratile elements.

6. A chime signal having spaced sound-producing vibratile elements, a striker carried by a rod pivoted therebetween and rotatable between stops slightly spacing said striker resiliently from said vibratile elements when adjacent thereto respectively to minimize sound damping, a manually operable member and a resiliently retractile motion-transmitting mechanism including said rod for causing said striker to actuate said vibratile elements successively, said mechanism including a spring interposed between said actuating member and said striker for imparting a snap-action thereto, and a soundamplifying housing having sound-emitting openings, enclosing said vibratile elements.

7. A chime signal comprising a base plate, a pair of spaced vibratile sound-producing bars mounted on one side thereof, a striker carried by a rod pivoted therebetween and rotatable between stops slightly spacing said striker resiliently from said vibratile elements when adjacent thereto respectively to minimize sound damping, a sound amplifying housing having sound-emitting openings, enclosing said bars and striker, and means including said rod and a manually actuated member projecting through said base plate, for actuating said striker against said bars successively.

8. A chime signal comprising a base plate. a

pair of spaced vibratile sound-producing bars mounted on one side thereof, a striker carried by a rod pivoted therebetween and rotatable between stops slightly spacing said striker resiliently from said vibratile elements when adjacent thereto respectively to minimize sound damping, a sound-amplifying housing having sound-emitting openings, enclosing said bars and striker, and means comprising a manually operable member projecting through said base plate and a resiliently retractile motion-transmitting mechanism including said rod, for causing said striker to actuate said vibratile elements successively, said mechanism including a spring interposed between said actuating member and striker for imparting snap-action thereto.

CHARLES AUTHI. 

